Meijer launching home delivery service

Meijer is jumping into the increasingly crowded food delivery arena.



In a move to deliver even more convenience to its time-starved shoppers, the Michigan-based retailer launching an app-based grocery delivery service in Detroit and southeastern Michigan.



Beginning Sept. 15, shoppers will be able to use a smartphone app from on-demand grocery delivery provider Shipt to shop 55,000 items across 25 participating Detroit-area Meijer stores. The service enables users to choose a one-hour delivery window that is most convenient for them, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.



Participation requires a Shipt membership, which is $99 a year or $14 a month. Orders over $35 are eligible for free shipping, while those under $35 are subject to a $7 delivery charge. Customers who subscribe to Shipt prior to Sept. 15, will also receive $25 off their first delivery.



Once enrolled, members can shop a large selection of Meijer groceries and everyday essentials, including baby, health and beauty products. They can also save merchandise preferences, choose a preferred delivery window, and pay for their order directly through the app. A Shipt shopper will hand pick their items, and deliver them within one hour after the order is placed.



"This is yet one more option to make shopping at Meijer easier for our customers," said Michael Ross, the retailer’s VP of digital shopping and customer marketing. "We believe our relationship with Shipt will provide many of our customers an all-encompassing service that will save them time and add a new convenience when shopping at Meijer.”



Since the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer operates many 24-hour stores, Shipt deliveries will be available at some Meijer locations around the clock, seven days a week, with the exception of certain holidays, according to a company statement.